Glass may be heated for a variety of purposes. For example, in some instances, heating a glass article may alter its color. U.S. Pat. No. 3,627,548 discloses a process for making a dark amber glass article. The process includes a step of adding a sufficient amount of copper oxide to an amber base glass containing iron and sulfur as the amber color-producing ingredients, and a step of reacting the copper with the sulfur in the amber base glass at an elevated temperature and for a period of time to thereby produce a dark coloration in the glass. The patent further discloses various characteristics of the ingredients and other materials.
A general object of the present disclosure, in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, is to provide an apparatus for selectively striking color patterns in glass, composites, and ceramics.
The present disclosure embodies a number of aspects that can be implemented separately from or in combination with each other.
In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, there is provided an apparatus for striking color in color-strikable articles which includes a conveyor for presenting the articles in sequence, and an energizer positioned adjacent to the conveyor for direct selective energizing of the articles to strike at least one color therein as the articles are presented by the conveyor.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of color-striking a color-strikable article that includes the steps of conveying a color-strikable article within a proximity of an energizer, and selectively color-striking the article with the energizer to produce a predetermined pattern on the article.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of color-striking a color-strikable article that includes the steps of conveying a color-strikable article within a proximity of a heater having at least one gas flame port, and selectively color-striking the article with the heater to produce a predetermined pattern on the article, wherein the heater is not located in a lehr.